Chris Sale looks on while on the mound.
The Atlanta Braves have been one of the more disappointing teams in Major League Baseball this season.
After showing to be a juggernaut during the 2023 campaign, the hope was for the Braves to be one of the better teams in MLB again when entering the season. Instead, after winning 104 games in 2023, the Braves have been derailed by injuries and can hardly win ball games. They’re currently 31-38, sitting at 4-6 over their past 10.
Some have suggested that the Braves could move on from left-hander Chris Sale, and the New York Yankees make perfect sense if they’re willing to part ways with him.
In a recent trade idea from our own Cole Shelton of Heavy Sports, he pitched a deal for the Braves to send him to the Yankees. His trade idea would involve moving Sale for two top Yankees prospects, Spencer Jones and Brock Selvidge.
“The proposed deal would be a blockbuster as New York would acquire Sale for two top-10 prospects, including their second-ranked prospect,” Shelton wrote.
“The Yankees would acquire Sale, who’s earning $22 million this season and has a club option for $18 million,” wrote Shelton. “Sale would be the Yankees’ No. 3 starter behind Max Fried and Carlos Rodon, which would be a great three-man rotation for a playoff series. Sale is 4-4 with a 2.79 ERA in 14 starts this season. He won the NL Cy Young in 2024 and is an eight-time All-Star, as well as winning the World Series with the Boston Red Sox in 2018.”
Will Yankees Be Able to Land Braves’ Chris Sale?
If all the New York Yankees had to give up was Jones and Selvidge, it seems like something they’d love to do.
However, for the Atlanta Braves, there isn’t much of a reason to trade him for this small of a package. Sure, Sale isn’t getting any younger at 36 years old, but he has a 2.79 ERA, and there will be multiple teams interested in sending a bigger package than that at the deadline.
Regarding whether the Yankees would move on from Jones, who was once viewed as an untouchable prospect, Kristie Ackert of Athlon Sports reported that he’s expected to be a name to watch in trade rumors this summer.
With his strikeout issues, it makes sense if the Yankees move on from him, but even more sense if the Braves don’t want them.
“The 6-foot-7 former first-rounder remains a riddle. He’s flashed power and athleticism, but he’s hitting around .220 at Double-A with a strikeout rate near 45 percent. Scouts still believe, but if the Yankees need rotation help this summer, he’s a name to watch in trade rumors,” she wrote.
What Would Braves Receive in Chris Sale Trade
The other prospect the Atlanta Braves would be getting in this deal, in Selvidge, is a decent player.
Ackert reported that the New York Yankees are interested in keeping him around in the long term. Still, for a team looking to win a World Series, the Yankees should be interested in landing Sale if they have the opportunity to.
“Missed the second half of 2023 and opened this month with one Double-A start after ramping up at lower levels. Still in the Yankees’ long-term plans,” she wrote.
